What happens when a plan (almost) doesn't come together
by LittleMonkeyDog
Summary: Hannibal loves it when a plan comes together. What if for some reason it almost doesn't ...
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

"He's on the jazz. The man is on the jazz."

Face and Murdock could only agree with B.A. Hannibal was indeed on the jazz. And that could mean that they could possible all get in trouble. Hannibal had a grin plastered on his face while puffing happily on a fresh cigar.

"Oh, Hannibal, please tell me this is not one of your 'piece of cake'," Face whined. "You know I'm getting sick of all of the lost caps and busted noses I ended up with over the past couple of months. My dentist is not happy and I don't think I can come up with another plausible excuse as to why I keep losing caps being a respectable member of the community."

B.A. rolled his eyes

"Cheer up, Lieutenant. I'm sure you can come up with a couple more. You have a gift, kid. You can talk your way out of just about anything."

"Yeah … just not with you."

"So what's the plan, Colonel?"

Murdock was excited as usual. Hannibal started to explain his plan to his team.

"Okay. Let's get into position. B.A., you take the left flank. Murdock, you take the right flank. Face, you find a nice and comfy spot where you get a clear view of the situation. I'm gonna try to sneak up from behind and surprise them."

The team did as they were ordered and everyone was in position within minutes. So far, the plan was working out perfectly. B.A. and Murdock were in position and Face had found a nice spot with a great overview, but he was confident that he could get even closer without getting spotted. He crouched down low so the bad guys wouldn't see him sneaking around, but something was bugging him. He had no clue when the vague pain in his stomach had started, but it really started to bother him now. If only he could get a glimpse of Hannibal before this would get any worse.

Over the years, the team had gotten so close that they could read each other's signals perfectly. So when Face had indicated that he could get closer to get a better overview, they all knew what he was going to do and they would also wait for another signal from him that he actually achieved his goal. Face once again tried to get into position, when he was hit with a very bad spasm causing him to double over and groan in pain. He tried his best to breathe through the piercing pain and when he lifted his head up again he heard a gun reloading close to his ear. He had been caught!

"Drop the gun and get up, pretty boy!" one of the bad guys sneered.

Face hated it when people called him that. Nevertheless, he did as he was told. He lowered his gun to the ground slowly and got up just as slowly praying the guys would spring into action.

"Move it will ya!"

The bad guy roughly yanked Face up by his arm and he was hit with yet another spasm. He tried his best to suppress groaning again.

"I ain't got all day. Now move it!"

Breathing through the piercing pain kept Face from following what the guy ordered him to do. The impatient guy saw this as a sign of unwillingness, got angry and hit Face in the stomach with the butt of his gun. Face doubled over in pain when the pain he had experienced before seemed to even intensify. It would take all he got to stay conscious.

Meanwhile, Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. were waiting on a sign from their Lieutenant. They only got their sign as they saw one of the goons yank Face up roughly by his arm and point his gun at him.

"Damn," Hannibal muttered under his breath.

Pretty soon the other goons appeared by his side and they all pointed their guns at Face. Hannibal's mind was racing. Even if they all tried to get a good shot, Face could still get injured. And getting shot at close range meant serious damage. Hannibal signaled to B.A. and Murdock to keep hidden and do nothing. He couldn't help but think how on Earth his second in command managed to get caught. The guy was the best sniper on the team! He never got caught while sneaking up on his target.

The leader of the goons was extremely happy.

"Well well well. What have we got here? If it isn't pretty boy! Not so tough now without your friends huh?"

Face merely rolled his eyes.

When he didn't get a reaction from Face, he got angrier. He roughly grabbed Face by the collar of his jacket and yanked him towards him. He had his gun in his other hand and pointed it now straight at Face's chest.

"I could just put you out of your misery right now, just like that," he sneered.

Face flashed him his signature smile without so much as a hint of worry with the gun this close to his chest. The guy lost control completely and punched Face hard in the stomach causing him to double over in pain. By now he was seeing stars and he couldn't help the groan that escaped from his throat. The pain was still very much present when he was yanked back up by the collar of his jacket.

"Smith! I know you're out there somewhere. I've got your pretty friend here and if you don't come out and surrender within the next 10 minutes, I'm gonna blow a hole in him."

Hannibal got up from his hiding spot, lowered his gun and raised his hands in surrender. He wasn't about to risk getting his Lieutenant shot at such a close distance.

"Alright, Jennings. You've got us!"

B.A. and Murdock understood the situation and also came out of hiding lowering their guns and raising their hands. It didn't take long for them to be surrounded by the goons.

"The famous A-team!" Jennings sneered as Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock were all brought in to join their teammate. "We're gonna get filthy rich when we turn these guys in."

They all had to laugh at that. Hannibal exchanged a worried glance with his Lieutenant, but he indicated that he had the situation under control. They were all ushered into the jeeps of the goons which meant that there was no possible way to talk to one another about the situation. Murdock kept a close eye on his best friend, but Face managed to smile reassuringly somehow. He still felt a constant dull pain in his stomach, but when he didn't move too much he could handle the pain. For now.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

The team was brought back to the deserted mine shaft and were ushered back out of the jeep. The dull pain was still bothering Face, but he tried to keep a poker face. They were forced inside of the empty mine shaft at gunpoint.

"Now that we have you, we're not about to let you get away before we collect our reward," Jennings said.

Hannibal knew this meant trouble. The goons still had their guns pointed at the team members and Jennings had once again grabbed a hold of Face. He was positive they wouldn't shoot to kill because of the reward, but they might as well injure his Lieutenant. Jennings sure seemed to have it in for him. Hannibal exchanged a worried glance with Face, but he remained calm and collected like he usually did. Jennings indeed pointed his gun at Face's abdomen now and reloaded his gun hoping to get some sort of reaction from Face, but felt disappointed when he got none. Instead he released all of his pent up anger on him, punched him in the stomach again and sent him flying to the ground. He gathered his men and they all left the team inside of the abandoned shaft.

"Are you okay, kid?" Hannibal said worry evident in his voice as he knelt down beside Face.

It took Face all he got to breathe through the intense pain.

Murdock and B.A. also knelt down beside him.

"This ain't the first punch he got, Hannibal."

"Yeah! I think you're right, B.A. "

"Sucker sure had it in for Face."

"Can you tell me how many times he punched you in the gut, kid?"

"Lost … count," came Face's reply as he desperately tried to get a grip.

"It ain't been just them fists of his he used either."

"No. Butt of his gun," Face managed to say.

"He could have bruised or broken ribs, Colonel."

"Let's hope it's not the latter, Murdock."

They all looked at Face who was still trying to deal with the intense pain. Hannibal was still worried what the bad guys were up to. They didn't actually do what Hannibal suspected they would do, so what were they up to?

"Are you doing okay, Face?" Murdock asked his friend.

"I'm okay, Murdock. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

But he couldn't hide the fact that he was still in a lot of pain. Hannibal had been half listening to the conversation between the two best friends, but he also kept listening for other noises that might give him a clue to what the bad guys were up to. It had been too quiet. Hannibal was sure they were up to something so he started to listen even more intently. The noises he could detect made the wheels in his head start to turn full speed.

"Face, you really should let me check your injuries."

"Murdock, I'll be okay. I told you I'll be ..." Face started to say while swatting away his buddy's hands that were trying to unbutton his shirt.

Their conversation was interrupted by the Colonel suddenly motioning them to keep quiet. The guys all kept their eyes on him. All of a sudden he turned his head towards his young Lieutenant wearing a serious expression on his face.

"Face, do you think you can get up?"

"Sure, why ..."

"Look, kid. This isn't the time to act all tough, okay. I need to be sure that you can."

The pain was still ever present and for now Face had been able to breathe through it, but he wasn't too sure he would be able to pull that of when he got up.

"Face, I need an answer from you now, kid!"

"I'm not sure ..."

"What's goin' on, Hannibal?"

"I think they're gonna blow up the tunnel so it will cave in and we'll be trapped until they can get Decker to come and pick us up. We need to move further back, so no one gets injured any further especially not Face. And if my senses are not betraying me on this one, we need to act fast."

"Murdock, B.A., you guys gently ease Face up and support his weight as we move him further back."

"Sure, Colonel, piece of cake!"

"Murdock, do you really have to use that?"

"Now's not the time for it, fool! Let's get to it."

They both moved next to Face, grabbed a hold of one of his arms and gently lifted him up into the sitting position. It took all Face had not to cry out in pain.

"You okay, Face?" came Murdock's worried question to his best friend.

Face had his eyes firmly shut as he tried to block out the intense pain he was experiencing.

"Hannibal, he ain't doin' well."

Hannibal quickly made his way over to the rest of the team and immediately noticed that his Lieutenant was in no way capable of walking. It looked as if the kid was about ready to pass out at any minute.

"We need to get a move on and quick," he stated wearing a serious expression on his face. "Face is in no position to walk. We'll need to carry him."

"Gotcha," B.A. stated while moving to Face's feet ready to lift up his injured friend and team mate.

Hannibal grabbed a hold of Face's arms.

"I'm sorry, kid. This is gonna hurt," Hannibal said.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

They lifted him up as gently as they could and still Face couldn't help the groan that escaped his throat. As quickly as they could carrying their lightweight team member, Hannibal and B.A. made their way deeper into the mineshaft with Murdock leading the way. The shaft, however, wasn't at all that deep. Not long after they had moved, they heard the explosion and the force of the explosion caused the entrance of the mineshaft to collapse completely just like Hannibal had predicted. On top of that, the impact caused B.A. and Hannibal to lose their balance and no matter how hard they tried not to hurt their young Lieutenant he ended up suffering even more.

"It's alright, littl' brother. Don't hold back!" B.A. said when he noticed the pain etched on Face's now pale features.

They gently eased him down.

"Take it easy now, kid," Hannibal said. "Focus on your breathing, okay. I'm gonna go and check out the damage and see if I can find a way to get us out of here. Keep an eye on him."

"Don't worry, Face. We'll get you out of here!"

He managed a weak smile. B.A. and Murdock shared a worried look. Meanwhile, Hannibal checked out the damage and soon found out that there was no way to get out through the collapsed part of the tunnel not unless they found the right tools to get the job done which he doubted. He would have to come up with another creative idea to get out of the mess they were in. But his first priority was to check on his second-in-command and find out just how bad his injuries were.

"And?"

"There's no way to get through the shaft without the proper tools," Hannibal answered B.A.'s question.

"Thought so."

"We'll need to come up with other alternatives. How's Face?"

"He's done better."

"I'm seriously worried about him, Hannibal."

Hannibal knelt beside his wounded second-in-command and still noticed the intense pain etched on his pale features.

"Face! I'm going to check your injuries, son. I'll try to be as gentle as I can be."

Face nodded his head. Hannibal unbuttoned his dress shirt only to reveal dark bruises on his lower abdomen immediately. The team shared worried glances.

"No wonder he ain't doin' well."

"Fists or the butt of a gun, kid?"

"Both," Face managed to say hardly audible.

"I'm sorry, kid, but I need to make sure your ribs or either bruised or broken."

"Squeeze my hand," Murdock offered.

Hannibal gently started to prod around on Face's abdomen. He had his eyes firmly shut and tried to breathe through the intense pain without so much as trying to groan. But you could clearly tell by looking at his face that he was in pain. Hannibal had noticed that too and tried to be as gentle as he could be.

While prodding around, he kept his eye trained on his second-in-command's face. It worried him that Face's abdominal muscles seemed to be tense especially around his belly button.

He couldn't really detect any broken bones, but he couldn't be too sure since he didn't want to hurt Face any further.

Murdock squeezed his hand reassuringly. He had also noticed the pain etched on Face's pale features.

"It's alright, kid. You did good! Just rest for a bit now. We'll work on a plan to get us out of here."

Face closed his eyes and Hannibal motioned for B.A. and Murdock to step away from him.

"And?"

"I can't detect any broken bones so far, but with all of the bruises he has I can't be too sure. He's in enough pain as it is. I'm not about to make it worse for him. We'll have to figure out a way to get out of here as quick as we can and I'm afraid he won't be of any help at all. Not with these injuries. And when we do get out of here, we need to get him medical help asap."

"What do you suggest we do, Colonel?"

"B.A., I think you and I should have a look out here at the back of the tunnel and see if we can somehow dig our way out of there. Murdock, I want you to stay with Face and keep an eye on him. If he gets restless or whatever, let us know."

"Roger wilco, Colonel."

The team split up and Hannibal and B.A. started to look around for possible escape routes. Murdock sat down next to his injured best friend and watched him sleep. At least he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, Murdock thought. He had buttoned up Face's shirt again so he wouldn't get cold, but there wasn't much else he could do to keep him comfortable.

After a little while, Face started to groan in his sleep occasionally. Murdock had picked up on that, but it didn't alarm him.

Getting out of the mess they were in turned out to be more difficult too. At first sight, Hannibal and B.A. couldn't find any tools to dig them out. Hannibal wasn't about to let his team be caught by Decker like this. They never gave up without a fight even if one member of the team was currently not able to help them out. The wheels in his head kept on turning. He had to get them out and he had to get his Lieutenant to a doctor or possibly even a hospital. Hannibal's thoughts were interrupted by Murdock's sudden shouting.

"Hannibal! Where are you?"

Hannibal motioned for B.A. to keep searching for a way out while he made his way over to the Captain."

"What's up, Murdock? Something wrong?"

"It's Face," he stated wearing a serious expression on his face. "He started to groan in his sleep a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to it as he still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But then just now, I noticed that he started to shiver ever so slightly. I think he's running a fever."

"That's not good. You don't just run a fever with bruises or broken bones. This might mean we're dealing with an infection."

"Did you find a way out yet?"

"We're still working on it, Murdock."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Meanwhile, they had arrived back at the spot were Face was resting. Hannibal immediately noticed that he was getting a bit restless. He knelt down beside his second-in-command and held the back of his hand to his forehead.

"You're right, Murdock. He's got a fever. Damn."

Face started to groan a bit louder and started to get even more restless.

"Take it easy, kid. We're still working on a way to get us all out of here. You just rest, relax and take it easy."

By now, Face had opened up his eyes.

"Hi there, Lieutenant. So nice of you to join us. You should try to lie still, kid. I know you're in pain, but you've also developed a slight fever and I don't want you to get any worse. As soon as we're out of here, we're gonna take you to Maggie's and get you checked out properly."

"F-f-feel ... s-s-sick," Face said hardly audible.

Hannibal and Murdock both realized they needed to be quick. They tried to ease Face up in the sitting position as careful as they possibly could and he threw up as soon as he sat up. The burning pain in his abdomen was excruciating and so Face couldn't help but cry out in pain. It didn't sound loud at all due to the fact that he was exhausted, but alarm bells went off in Hannibal's head. Something out of the ordinary was going on here ...

Face supported heavily on both of his friends and that wasn't something he would usually do. Then again, throwing up wasn't something he usually did either.

"Hannibal, somehow I begin to think we're dealing with more than broken bones here."

"Yeah, I hear you, Captain."

They kept on supporting Face's weakened frame while the poor guy kept throwing up until he was certain that he had nothing left in his entire body. He was barely conscious by now and Hannibal could feel the heat radiating off of his body as he tried to hold him up. They waited a little bit longer to make sure he would start throwing up again before they gently lowered him back to the ground. He screamed out in pain again as soon as he lay down on his back. Hannibal once again put the back of his hand to his Lieutenant's face only to notice that his fever had gone up.

"This is not good," he mouthed wordlessly to Murdock.

"Kid, I need to check your injuries again. Okay? Now I'll try to be as gentle as I can be, but I need to find out what's going on with you."

It worried Hannibal even more that he got no response whatsoever from his talkative second-in-command but only some groans and moans. He unbuttoned Face's shirt and softly started to re-check his abdomen for injuries. His abdomen seemed even more tense than the previous time Hannibal had conducted the check-up. Face couldn't help but groan out loud when Hannibal prodded around the area of his belly button, but when Hannibal pushed down on his lower abdomen - especially the right side of his body - he nearly screamed out. Murdock had to hold him as his body jerked up in utter pain.

Both men looked at one another. This sure meant trouble!

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, Hannibal?"

"It's his appendix."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. This is not good!"

"No, it's not good at all considering he's got possible other injuries and we're locked in this tunnel with no means of medical help."

"What are we gonna do now, Colonel?"

"I need you to go and help B.A. and dig us a way out of here fast. The sooner we get out of here the better. I'll keep an eye on his condition. I don't think we've got that long. We need to get him to hospital asap before this thing ruptures."

"But what if we can't make it out of here on time, Hannibal?"

"The worse case scenario is that I'll have to operate on him. I've had some experience with field operations back in 'Nam, but I don't like to use that knowledge unless I absolutely have no choice. After all, I'm nowhere near a surgeon. Not to mention the possible complications we might face when operating under these circumstances."

Murdock understood the gravity of the situation and made his way over to help B.A. in finding a way out. He didn't like to leave his best friend in the miserable condition he was in, but he was certain that the Colonel would keep a close eye on him. He updated B.A. on the whole situation as they went to work on digging them out.

"His appendix? That ain't good, fool!"

"Yes. I know that, big guy. Hannibal hopes we can get us all out of this mess before he has to operate."

"Yeah. He better not have to cut into Face like this."

B.A. had discovered a small side entrance while digging around and some abandoned material was left in the deserted shaft. It wasn't all that much, but the team was creative enough to make it work for them. B.A. showed Murdock what he found and what he wanted done with it and as it was just the two of them they would have to work hard to get things ready.

"Let's do this, fool. Can't have Face suffering."

"I'm with you on that, Big Guy."

B.A. and Murdock got to work as quickly as they could.

Hannibal gently started to prod around on Face's abdomen. He had his eyes firmly shut and tried to breathe through the intense pain without so much as trying to groan. But you could clearly tell by looking at his face that he was in pain. Hannibal had noticed that too and tried to be as gentle as he could be.

While prodding around, he kept his eye trained on his second-in-command's face. It worried him that Face's abdominal muscles seemed to be tense especially around his belly button.

He couldn't really detect any broken bones, but he couldn't be too sure since he didn't want to hurt Face any further.

Murdock squeezed his hand reassuringly. He had also noticed the pain etched on Face's pale features.

"It's alright, kid. You did good! Just rest for a bit now. We'll work on a plan to get us out of here."

Face closed his eyes and Hannibal motioned for B.A. and Murdock to step away from him.

"And?"

"I can't detect any broken bones so far, but with all of the bruises he has I can't be too sure. He's in enough pain as it is. I'm not about to make it worse for him. We'll have to figure out a way to get out of here as quick as we can and I'm afraid he won't be of any help at all. Not with these injuries. And when we do get out of here, we need to get him medical help asap."

"What do you suggest we do, Colonel?"

"B.A., I think you and I should have a look out here at the back of the tunnel and see if we can somehow dig our way out of there. Murdock, I want you to stay with Face and keep an eye on him. If he gets restless or whatever, let us know."

"Roger wilco, Colonel."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The team split up and Hannibal and B.A. started to look around for possible escape routes. Murdock sat down next to his injured best friend and watched him sleep. At least he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, Murdock thought. He had buttoned up Face's shirt again so he wouldn't get cold, but there wasn't much else he could do to keep him comfortable.

After a little while, Face started to groan in his sleep occasionally. Murdock had picked up on that, but it didn't alarm him.

Getting out of the mess they were in turned out to be more difficult too. At first sight, Hannibal and B.A. couldn't find any tools to dig them out. Hannibal wasn't about to let his team be caught by Decker like this. They never gave up without a fight even if one member of the team was currently not able to help them out. The wheels in his head kept on turning. He had to get them out and he had to get his Lieutenant to a doctor or possibly even a hospital. Hannibal's thoughts were interrupted by Murdock's sudden shouting.

"Hannibal! Where are you?"

Hannibal motioned for B.A. to keep searching for a way out while he made his way over to the Captain."

"What's up, Murdock? Something wrong?"

"It's Face," he stated wearing a serious expression on his face. "He started to groan in his sleep a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to it as he still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But then just now, I noticed that he started to shiver ever so slightly. I think he's running a fever."

"That's not good. You don't just run a fever with bruises or broken bones. This might mean we're dealing with an infection."

"Did you find a way out yet?"

"We're still working on it, Murdock."

Meanwhile, they had arrived back at the spot were Face was resting. Hannibal immediately noticed that he was getting a bit restless. He knelt down beside his second-in-command and held the back of his hand to his forehead.

"You're right, Murdock. He's got a fever. Damn."

Face started to groan a bit louder and started to get even more restless.

"Take it easy, kid. We're still working on a way to get us all out of here. You just rest, relax and take it easy."

By now, Face had opened up his eyes.

"Hi there, Lieutenant. So nice of you to join us. You should try to lie still, kid. I know you're in pain, but you've also developed a slight fever and I don't want you to get any worse. As soon as we're out of here, we're gonna take you to Maggie's and get you checked out properly."

"F-f-feel ... s-s-sick," Face said hardly audible.

Hannibal and Murdock both realized they needed to be quick. They tried to ease Face up in the sitting position as careful as they possibly could and he threw up as soon as he sat up. The burning pain in his abdomen was excruciating and so Face couldn't help but cry out in pain. It didn't sound loud at all due to the fact that he was exhausted, but alarm bells went off in Hannibal's head. Something out of the ordinary was going on here ...

Face supported heavily on both of his friends and that wasn't something he would usually do. Then again, throwing up wasn't something he usually did either.

"Hannibal, somehow I begin to think we're dealing with more than broken bones here."

"Yeah, I hear you, Captain."

They kept on supporting Face's weakened frame while the poor guy kept throwing up until he was certain that he had nothing left in his entire body. He was barely conscious by now and Hannibal could feel the heat radiating off of his body as he tried to hold him up. They waited a little bit longer to make sure he would start throwing up again before they gently lowered him back to the ground. He screamed out in pain again as soon as he lay down on his back. Hannibal once again put the back of his hand to his Lieutenant's face only to notice that his fever had gone up.

"This is not good," he mouthed wordlessly to Murdock.

"Kid, I need to check your injuries again. Okay? Now I'll try to be as gentle as I can be, but I need to find out what's going on with you."

It worried Hannibal even more that he got no response whatsoever from his talkative second-in-command but only some groans and moans. He unbuttoned Face's shirt and softly started to re-check his abdomen for injuries. His abdomen seemed even more tense than the previous time Hannibal had conducted the check-up. Face couldn't help but groan out loud when Hannibal prodded around the area of his belly button, but when Hannibal pushed down on his lower abdomen - especially the right side of his body - he nearly screamed out. Murdock had to hold him as his body jerked up in utter pain.

Both men looked at one another. This sure meant trouble!

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, Hannibal?"

"It's his appendix."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. This is not good!"

"No, it's not good at all considering he's got possible other injuries and we're locked in this tunnel with no means of medical help."

"What are we gonna do now, Colonel?"

"I need you to go and help B.A. and dig us a way out of here fast. The sooner we get out of here the better. I'll keep an eye on his condition. I don't think we've got that long. We need to get him to hospital asap before this thing ruptures."

"But what if we can't make it out of here on time, Hannibal?"

"The worst case scenario is that I'll have to operate on him. I've had some experience with field operations back in 'Nam, but I don't like to use that knowledge unless I absolutely have no choice. After all, I'm nowhere near a surgeon. Not to mention the possible complications we might face when operating under these circumstances."

Murdock understood the gravity of the situation and made his way over to help B.A. in finding a way out. He didn't like to leave his best friend in the miserable condition he was in, but he was certain that the Colonel would keep a close eye on him. He updated B.A. on the whole situation as they went to work on digging them out.

"His appendix? That ain't good, fool!"

"Yes. I know that, big guy. Hannibal hopes we can get us all out of this mess before he has to operate."

"Yeah. He better not have to cut into Face like this."

B.A. had discovered a small side entrance while digging around and some abandoned material was left in the deserted shaft. It wasn't all that much, but the team was creative enough to make it work for them. B.A. showed Murdock what he found and what he wanted done with it and as it was just the two of them they would have to work hard to get things ready.

"Let's do this, fool. Can't have Face suffering."

"I'm with you on that, Big Guy."


End file.
